The Pearl Earring

by Suzanne Weyn

  Lily glanced at Audreen’s alarm clock. “Aunt Amy, why are you here?” she asked. “It’s not even two o’clock yet.”

  “Daniella phoned me,” Amy explained. “She said you took a break and never came back, and wondered if I knew where you’d gone. I was frantic, Lily. I rushed right over here. What were you thinking?”

  “I’m sorry, Aunt Amy, but I saw a ghost on the stairway and then Audreen came when she heard me screaming. I was about to go back to Daniella’s when the second ghost showed up.”

  “I’m sure you were,” Amy said, rolling her eyes skeptically. “And what are you burning in here? Incense?”

  Suddenly reminded, Audreen hurried into the kitchen and picked up the smoldering sage, stubbing out the last cinders in the sink. Untying it, she separated out a bunch and wrapped a rubber band around it. “Keep this with you, just in case,” she said, handing the sage to Lily.

  “Oh, please,” Amy moaned. “Give me a break.” She turned to Lily. “Come on. I have to tell Daniella that I’ve found you. She’s so worried.”

  “Good-bye, Audreen. Thank you,” Lily said.

  “Call if you need me,” Audreen replied, handing Lily her card.

  “Lily won’t need that,” Amy said impatiently, but Lily pocketed the card anyway.

  “Don’t forget your painting,” Audreen said, offering the empty painting.

  “You keep it,” Amy said as she and Lily left the apartment.

  OUTSIDE IN the hall, Amy stopped and turned to Lily. “I’m sorry if you think I was rude. But I’ve been so worried! If I hadn’t thought to look for you in that apartment I’d be out searching all over the city. Plus, I don’t trust her. The city is full of these so-called mystics who are all frauds.” Amy put her hand on her forehead and breathed deeply, trying to calm herself.

  “Maybe they’re not all phonies,” Lily said. “It could be that only some of them are. I trust Audreen. Besides, why didn’t you just call me?”

  “I did call you! I called like a hundred times!”

  Lily had forgotten that her bag was still up in Daniella’s apartment. “Sorry, Aunt Amy. I didn’t want to worry you. I couldn’t call you from Daniella’s because she has no cell service at her place. She’s got no computer, no Wi-Fi at all. I left my phone there when I went to get some fresh air.”

  “Do you feel well enough to finishing the posing with her?” Amy asked as they headed up the stairs back to Daniella’s apartment.

  “I was feeling sort of weird before, but now I’m okay.”

  When they rang Daniella’s doorbell, she answered immediately. “Thank heavens you’re safe!” she cried as she let Amy and Lily in.

  The moment she was inside, Lily hugged herself for warmth. She’d almost forgotten that Daniella’s apartment was like a freezer. Amy rubbed her own arms for warmth also.

  “Sorry I worried you,” Lily apologized. How honest did she want to be with Daniella? Lily wasn’t certain. If she told the whole story, would Daniella be frightened off from working with Lily? Despite everything, Lily didn’t want to lose her shot at the modeling contract.

  “Lily felt sick and the woman downstairs helped her out,” Amy told Daniella.

  “Do you mean that so-called psychic?” Daniella asked disdainfully.

  “Audreen,” Lily put in.

  “Stay away from her,” Daniella advised. “That young woman is a complete charlatan.”

  “A what?” Lily asked.

  “A fake! A phony! A crook!”

  “She’s not a crook,” Lily objected. “She never asked me for any money.”

  “Well, you watch yourself with her,” Daniella warned. “Lily, I have to tell you that I don’t feel that our first session went well — not at all.”

  “I’m sorry, Daniella,” Lily replied, flushing.

  “She was probably just nervous,” Amy added. “She’s been so excited and wants to be perfect right away.”

  “I don’t know,” Daniella said. “My time is very valuable. I can’t afford another lost day like today.”

  “But it wasn’t a total loss,” Lily insisted. She couldn’t lose this chance almost before it had even begun. “You painted all morning. Can I see what you did?”

  “I’d love to see it, too,” Amy added enthusiastically.

  Daniella led them around to see the canvas she’d been painting on. Although most of it remained unfinished, the background and the outlines of Lily’s face were painted. The background was the same swirl of color that the other portraits had. “It’s going to look just like the other Dolores Agonie paintings,” Amy said. “Where did you learn to paint this way, Daniella?”

  “I learned from my grandmother who was also a member of the Agonie clan. It’s a style passed down among the women in our family. We’re all descendants of Lucrezia Borgia, you know.”

  “Oh really,” Amy said with a scowl.

  Daniella smiled. “Oh, I know Lucrezia has some bad press. People say she was a poisoner and all sorts of evil things, but history has distorted the true stories. She was a remarkable woman, actually.”

  Amy and Daniella continued to discuss Lucrezia Borgia, but Lily wasn’t paying attention. She’d begun by casually looking at the swirling background behind her portrait, but now she couldn’t stop staring at it.

  It was as though the colors had somehow hypnotized her. They moved on their own, creating a tunnel of color that pulled Lily into it. She felt as though she were rising out of her body and heading into the swirling vortex of color.

  LILY!”

  Lily’s eyes opened and she was in Amy’s arms, both of them on the floor of Daniella’s apartment. “You fainted,” Amy said as Lily leaned forward, still lightheaded. “Are you okay?”

  Lily nodded shakily.

  “It’s been a long day,” Daniella said, helping Lily to her feet as Amy stood. “Have some lemonade and cheese, then we’ll start again tomorrow.”

  “Thank you.” Lily felt so foolish. She’d never fainted before. From the corner of her eye she saw the swirling colors of the unfinished portrait but looked away quickly, not wanting to be caught up again in its strange power.

  Amy and Lily said good-bye to Daniella and rode the subway home. The train was less crowded than it had been in the rush-hour morning since it was now the middle of the day, and so they were able to sit.

  “What do you think of Daniella?” Lily asked Amy.

  “She’s sort of old-fashioned,” Amy said. “You know, the way her makeup and hair and clothing are so perfect. A little vain, too, and very preoccupied with energy and spirits for an artist with a fashion background. But her paintings are lovely, and those sculptures in her apartment …”

  “Do you like her?” Lily asked.

  Amy hesitated. “I’m not sure. She’s certainly an impressive artist. We don’t know her that well.”

  “You judged Audreen pretty quickly and we’d only just met her,” Lily reminded her.

  “At least Daniella’s not filling your head with spooky ghosts and burning sage.”

  Lily opened her mouth to tell Amy that it wasn’t Audreen’s fault. Something strange really was going on. But she decided not to say anything more about it. It was pretty obvious by now that Amy didn’t believe in the spirit world or anything mystical.

  Lily was frightened though — really frightened. Who knew when a ghost would appear again?

  They left the subway and stopped for pizza at a shop on the way to Amy’s apartment. Just before they got to Amy’s front door, they bought ice-cream cones from a truck. “Don’t worry, Lily,” Amy said, licking her cone. “Everything will be okay.”

  “I hope so,” Lily replied, still thinking of Daniella and Julia and the new ghost from that afternoon.

  Back in Amy’s building, they took the elevator up and walked down the hall. “I don’t believe it,” Amy muttered.

  A package wrapped in brown paper was leaning against the front door. From its size and shape it wasn’t hard to guess the contents. S
omeone had left a portrait at the front door.

  Inside the apartment, Lily sat on a chair and tore at the paper. “Audreen probably returned Julia’s frame,” she said.

  But as the wrapping fell away, Lily and Amy stared down, surprised. It was a portrait of the girl from the 1800s, the one named Emily. She wore a serious expression, though her green eyes were lively with interest. Brown ringlets framed her pale, heart-shaped face, and a lace collar ringed her neck. Her mouth bowed sweetly.

  “Daniella probably felt bad about today and sent this painting as a gift,” Amy said.

  “But why would she do that?” Lily asked. “These paintings are so special to her. Why would she give another one to me?”

  “I don’t know,” Amy admitted. “She is a bit eccentric. We’ll ask her tomorrow.”

  That night Amy and Lily sat and thumbed through some fashion magazines Amy had brought from work. “You could totally succeed in modeling,” Amy said. “You’re even prettier than a lot of these girls.”

  From time to time, Lily glanced at the portrait of Emily, which she’d propped up on the dresser in the same spot where Julia’s picture had once been. Part of her was afraid that Emily would climb out of her portrait just as Julia had, but she tried to shake the feeling off. It was just a pretty painting of a pretty girl. There was no reason to be afraid of it.

  The weather was still steamy, though the fans by the open window gave them some relief. “You don’t have to tie us together tonight,” Lily said when she saw Amy yawn and stretch. “I’ll be all right.”

  Amy’s expression was doubtful. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” Truly Lily wasn’t so sure but she wanted to believe everything would be fine tonight. She wanted the nightmares to stop, and to finally get a good night’s sleep.

  Amy slid off the bed and headed for the kitchen. “I have an idea,” she said. In three minutes she returned, her arms full with cans, glasses, vases, and even a bell.

  “What’s all that for?” Lily asked.

  Amy began lining the things on the floor about a foot in front of the window. “You won’t be able to sleepwalk near the window without knocking over all this stuff. I’ll keep my door open so I’ll be sure to hear it.”

  When she finished, Amy went to the front door and bolted every latch. “I don’t normally lock every single one of these but I’m not taking any chances tonight.” She headed toward her bedroom but hesitated. “I really don’t mind sleeping on the pull-out.”

  “I’ll be fine!” Lily said. “Really!”

  “All right, then. Good night.”

  “ ’Night.”

  Amy switched off the light, and Lily stretched out on the bed. Just as the night before, the white lace curtains fluttered in the fan’s breeze. They reminded Lily of how Julia had appeared and lured her to the window. With a nervous shiver, Lily turned over to face away from them.

  As tense as she was, especially with Emily looking on, Lily was exhausted and soon drifted off to sleep. She dreamed that she was home and playing soccer with some of her best friends. She was happy and laughing as she scored a goal.

  But her eyes snapped open suddenly. Her skin tingled with freezing goose bumps. Something icy was pressing hard against her back.

  LILY WAS too terrified to do anything but lie there, shivering in the dark. Beside her, whatever was there began to sob.

  Slowly Lily turned to face it.

  “Aunt Amy!” Lily tried to shout but her voice was a squeak of fear. The bloated, bluish girl beside her could have been Emily — if she had been floating under water for many years. What were once brown curls now stood out from her head like tangled seaweed. Her skin and lips were swollen, and her dark-rimmed eyes bulged. And her dress was shredded and tinged green and brown.

  Despite her repulsive appearance, Emily’s sobs were so heart-wrenching that Lily couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Dolores Agonie,” Emily sobbed. “Dolores Agonie.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I can’t die but I’m dead!” Emily shouted. “They buried me at sea but I can’t rest!”

  “Lily?” Amy called sleepily from her bedroom.

  “Why can’t you die?” Lily asked, ignoring her aunt for the moment.

  “Part of my spirit is trapped in this world. I can’t cross over without that part.”

  “Lily?” Amy appeared in the bedroom doorway, rubbing her eyes. “What’s going on?”

  Before Lily could reply, Emily broke into an anguished howl so deafening Lily had to cover her ears. Amy stood there, also shielding her ears with clenched fists, cringing.

  Tears gushed from Emily’s swollen eyes, spilling waves of water into the room. As she cried, Emily floated toward the ceiling, her arms and legs spread wide as though she were drifting under the ocean. The torrent of salty tears spilling from her eyes was quickly filling the room with water.

  Still holding her hands over her ears, Lily sloshed through the knee-high water to Amy’s side. Together they clawed at the front door, frantically trying to undo the locks as the water rose around them.

  They were waist deep in water when the last lock was opened but the door wouldn’t budge. Lily glanced at the open window and saw water pouring out, but still it continued to rise.

  “Emily, stop!” Lily shouted but her voice was drowned in the overwhelming roar of the girl’s howl. The blast from Emily’s mouth worked like a wind over the water, stirring it up into waves and whirlpools.

  One hand still covering her ear, Amy pointed to the dresser and Lily understood that it was something they could stand on as the water continued to climb. When they were on top of it, the water was once more down around their knees.

  Things in the apartment started to float, pitched to and fro on the choppy water. As Emily’s portrait bobbed by, Lily wasn’t surprised to see that the girl’s image was no longer in it.

  The whirring fan sparked as the water hit it, and then spun to a stop. Pictures lifted from their hooks and floated off the walls. Books, magazines, pencils, and any odd item that was light enough to float became unmoored and drifted in the ocean of tears. Heavy items toppled and then sunk.

  Lily flailed, splashing as the water rose to her chin. It wouldn’t be long before she and Amy were completely underwater. Cracks were forming in the walls, splitting under the pressure from Emily’s tears.

  In the next minutes the water rose to the ceiling. Lily clutched Amy’s arm as they floated there. Emily dangled just below them, her howl silenced by the water.

  Lily gripped Amy tighter as they swam, desperately trying to keep their noses in the inches of air still left at the ceiling. They were going to drown!

  “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Emily cried. “I wanted to tell you something important — but I’m so sad. This always happens when I cry.”

  “Just try to stop crying!” Lily said to her.

  “I can’t! It’s going to happen to you, too. It’s so sad!”

  And then suddenly, it all disappeared. Emily and the water caused by her tears vanished.

  In the next second, Lily and Amy crashed to the floor.

  Lily and Amy sat on the pull-out bed in stunned silence for fifteen minutes. Lily’s right knee and elbow throbbed from the impact of the fall. Amy had hit the back of her head and kept rubbing at it.

  There could be no doubt that what they’d just experienced had been real — they’d both lived it. But nothing was wet. All Amy’s things that had been strewn across the apartment, shaken loose and soaked — they were all now dry and back to normal.

  Amy never would have believed her. But this time she’d seen it for herself.

  Finally Lily spoke. “Do you believe me now?”

  “Uh-huh,” Amy answered, still sounding shocked. “I definitely do. I don’t think we should have anything more to do with these portraits. Or with Daniella Artel.”

  Lily nodded in agreement, but she wasn’t sure that gettin
g away from the spirits was going to be so easy. “But what if they keep showing up at the apartment?”

  WHEN I get to work I’ll call Daniella to tell her you’re not coming,” Amy said as she pulled on her sandals the next morning. “Would you mind very much just staying in today?”

  Lily still rested on the pull-out couch, feeling bruised and off-balance from yesterday. “I don’t mind, but what are you going to tell Daniella?”

  “I’ll tell her a sort of truth — that you’re too weirded out by the idea of being a Dolores Agonie portrait. You don’t want to wind up with your face in the Haunted Museum.”

  “Okay.” Lily glanced at the blank portrait, now lying on the floor. Though many of Amy’s things had been rearranged by the flood, the painting’s background seemed fine. The image of Emily, however, had not returned to it.

  “Okay, I’m going,” Amy announced, though she hesitated by the door. “Don’t leave the apartment, okay?”

  “Okay,” Lily agreed.

  Lily sat in the quiet apartment. She was scared now that Amy had left. Would one of the ghosts come back, or would they stay away now that she wasn’t sitting for the Dolores Agonie portrait? What if a new one appeared while she was there alone? What did they want?

  Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. Lily’s heart jumped a beat. What if it was another painting being delivered?

  Lily peered into the door’s security peephole. Audreen stood on the other side, waiting.

  “How did you find me?” Lily asked as she opened the door.

  “Daniella has your address,” Audreen informed her, walking in. “I went up to ask for it and she gave it to me. Is she ever upset with you!”

  “Really?” Lily cringed a little. In spite of everything that had happened, she felt bad about letting Daniella down.

  “Why didn’t you go back?” Audreen asked, gazing around the apartment.

  “Wait until you hear this,” Lily began and then launched into her tale of the previous night’s events.